Power equipment such as miter saws and radial arm saws include circular blades that move down onto or across a workpiece to cut the workpiece. Pneumatic up-cut chop saws often have a blade that rises through a slot in a table to cut a board. The blades, however, present a risk of injury to a user of the equipment as the blades move to make a cut. Accordingly, those saws often include blade guards that physically block an operator from making contact with the blade to minimize the risk of injury. In many cases, guards effectively reduce the risk of injury; however, there are many instances where the nature of the operations to be performed precludes using a guard that completely blocks access to hazardous machine parts. For example, a user of a radial arm saw draws the blade toward him as he cuts a workpiece. The user typically holds the workpiece with one hand while operating the saw with his other hand. In such a situation, the saw blade is at least partially exposed so that the blade can cut the workpiece. While the blade is at least partially exposed, the blade may accidentally contact the user's finger and the user may continue pulling the blade into his finger before he can react. Similarly, in a pneumatic up-cut chop saw, the user may position the material to be cut and accidentally place their hand in the path of the blade. When the saw is actuated the blade rises so quickly that the user does not have time to remove their hand. In some cases, a guard placed above the blade drops down prior to the cut, and the guard may trap the user's hand in the path of the blade.